Monthly Archives: October 2013

Liverpool 3 Crystal Palace 1: In-Depth Tactical Analysis

“Liverpool would have continued with the same XI used for the past two games if it wasn’t for the Lucas ban that enforced a change. Sterling came in as right wing-back, enabling Henderson to occupy Lucas’ spot beside Gerrard. For Palace Delaney was surprisingly fit to start, and he replaced the injured Gabbidon. With Dikgacoi injured too and Bannan unexpectedly left out of the match squad (without any indication he was injured), Holloway had to make two changes in his midfield. In came O’Keefe and the available again Puncheon (he was unable to play in the last game as it was against his parent club, Southampton). In attack Gayle was replaced by Jerome.” Tomkins Times

Tactical Analysis: Should Roy Hodgson build his England team around Daniel Sturridge?
“England face two crucial World Cup qualifiers in the next two weeks. Roy Hodgson’s side earned a valuable draw in Ukraine during the last round of fixtures and sit top of their group on 16 points, a point ahead of Ukraine and Montenegro who are second and third respectively and three points above Poland. With England ready to face two sides who are capable of finishing above them in the next fortnight, these could be crucial games for Hodgson’s men, make or break fixtures on the road to Brazil 2014. So how should Roy Hodgson set his side up?” Think Football

Back To The Eighties: 1980/81 – Part One

“It’s the summer of 1980, and a decade that started with England as the champions of the football world has just ended in a manner that few would have predicted ten years earlier. The national team’s arrival back in tournament football had ended in every conceivable flavour of defeat at the 1980 European Championships. The team itself found itself eliminated from the competition with a game to spare, and rioting supporters who faced tear gas in Turin as the team drew its opening match against Belgium. Perhaps the only consolation that could be taken from the whole dismal episode was that, having missed out on the previous two World Cups, at least the team had managed to find its way there in the first place.” twohundredpercent (Video)

World Cup 2014: Ecuador and Uruguay’s growing rivalry

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“England’s bid to reach Brazil next year could be heading towards yet another crunch game with Poland at Wembley next Tuesday, a tie which is rich in World Cup qualifying history. On the other side of the Atlantic, a contest is building up a similar pedigree. Ecuador v Uruguay in Quito, is a story whose latest chapter will be written on Friday. It is a clash with an agreeable contrast; the first kings of the global game visiting a team which, 25 years ago, were merely making up the numbers. Indeed, it was a win over Uruguay in the 1989 Copa America which first hinted that Ecuador might be on their way towards better things. Eight years later I could hardly believe my eyes as Ecuador took Uruguay apart with a 4-0 win in World Cup qualification.” BBC – Tim Vickery

England need consistency and chemistry to elevate their game

“The use of well-worn football cliches can be frustrating, but the cliches themselves are generally easy to understand — which, of course, is why they remain so frequently used by fans and pundits alike. It can be confusing, however, when two accepted cliches completely contradict one another. This is particularly problematic when considering a player’s true level of ability. On one hand, we’re told that ‘Form is temporary, class is permanent.’ On the other, ‘You’re only as good as your last game.’ So how are we supposed to view Esteban Cambiasso, for example? Superb throughout the past decade, yet wretched during Inter’s 3-0 weekend defeat at home to Roma — if we follow both cliches, Cambiasso is simultaneously ‘class’ and ‘not very good’.” ESPN – Michael Cox

Juventus 3-2 Milan: Tactical Analysis

“As Roma have run away at the top of the table in Serie A, some of the traditional giants like Juventus and Milan have had slightly lukewarm starts to their season. So, there was a lot at stake for both managers in the clash between these two teams, as victory in a match against a big rival can kick start the season. Milan were the visitors to Turin on this occasion. The home side started with a 3-5-2 formation. Buffon and the usual trio of Bonucci, Barzagli and Chiellini started at the back. In midfield too, the familiar trio of Pirlo, Marchisio and and Vidal started. The wings were manned by Asamoah on the left, and Padoin on the right. Up front, Quagliarella played as the one who tried to run in behind, while Tevez dropped deeper to link play.” Outside of the Boot

Sturridge and Suarez deliver

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“Two weeks ago Liverpool lost at home to Southampton and relinquished top spot in the table. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think we’d see the Reds back on top of the pile again this season, yet a fortnight later that’s exactly where they are following another ‘Suarez and Sturridge’ (or SAS as they have been dubbed in some quarters) inspired victory. That league position will change if Arsenal can avoid defeat against West Brom at the Hawthorns on Sunday of course, but irrespective of what the Gunners do, Brendan Rodgers’ men will still be in good shape going into yet another international break. There never used to be this many, did there?” ESPN

Leverkusen 1-1 Bayern Munich: Tactical Analysis

“The German Bundesliga is fast gaining recognition as one of the best leagues in the world, and this game was a perfect advert for the league. With Borussia Dortmund slipping up at Gladbach earlier in the day, both these teams had the chance to scale the summit. The champions only needed a point to go top, but Leverkusen needed all three. The electric atmosphere at the Bay Arena only added to the spice, with both sets of fans contributing with a lot of singing from the stands.” Outside of the Boot

EA Sports FIFA, US, and The Global Game

“In the United States, Saturdays and Sunday are reserved for one thing: football. Across the country, people neglect their chores, homework, jobs, and responsibilities to flock to sports bars, friend’s couches, and the biggest TV they can find to in order to watch college and professional football. Recently, however, American sports fans have been putting aside one kind of football in favor of another. American soccer, or football, as it’s known to the rest of the world, has seen a seismic shift in popularity during the last several years. According to Rich Luker, the brains behind the ESPN Sports Poll, soccer is America’s second most popular sport for those aged 18-24. How? What could be the source of this newfound fanfare? Perhaps it’s the increasingly global reach by the world’s most popular clubs? Soccer Politics

The price of stardom can be a big one

“I won a prize! Some days ago Brazilian journalists voted me as foreign correspondent of the year. I had also won in 2011 but that time I was in London at the time of the ceremony. This time I turned up and was somewhat taken aback by how prestigious and sophisticated the whole thing was. I improvised a little acceptance speech, threw in the odd quip – which seemed to go down very well. In the shameless tradition of the British scoundrel (one local compared me to 007). I used the occasion to heap praise on a stunningly gorgeous journalist who had also just won a prize. She loved it, and sought me out to tell me afterwards. Her husband took it well, and didn’t glower at me too badly. I decided I deserved some wine and it turned out to be that good stuff that doesn’t give you a hangover. I had a wonderful time.” The World Game – Tim Vickery (Video)

Fandom and Ethics

“In the few minutes it’ll take you to read through Elliott Turner’s recent piece on the latest allegations surrounding Qatar’s World Cup preparations, you’ll experience a series of emotions ranging from outright disgust to Zach de la Rocha-inspired rage, with a pair of paragraphs near the end sure to provoke even the least politically-minded individual…” Futbol Intellect

DEBATE: Oscar vs Mata, Who’s the Number 10?

“At the beginning of this new season, Jose Mourinho has courted a lot of attention for some of his rather unusual team selection. Generally, a guy who has scored and assisted a truck load of goals, along with being a two time player of the year at the club, walks into the starting 11, but not at Chelsea apparently. The Special Juan has fallen behind Oscar for a place in the starting 11 as a play-maker at the start of this season, but only time will tell which one of the two is going to make the ‘No. 10 Role’ his own.” Outside of the Boot

Mel Machin and AFC Bournemouth’s Original Great Escape

“The adventures of the Championship season have been mixed for AFC Bournemouth so far but the difficulties and crises of the past remain fresh in the memory. Since the early 1990s the story of the club has been one of promotions, relegations, takeovers and more than one instance of near financial oblivion. Many of the supporters who were at the rebuilt stadium at King’s Park for the first home game of this season will also have been at the town’s Winter Gardens theatre throwing notes into buckets in an effort to save their club during the 1996/97 season. The Cherries became a community club – Europe’s first, so it was said – but their problems were far from over. Similarly, they were hardly just beginning. By the time Tony Pulis left Dean Court in 1994 after two seasons in the job after replacing Harry Redknapp, Bournemouth were in the third tier and set for a troublesome season. After losing their first seven matches and scoring just four goals before eventually drawing against Chester City, they turned to a former Manchester City manager with a promotion in his scrapbook alongside a famous brush with Alex Ferguson in 1989.” In Bed With Maradona

The basic 4-4-2 is becoming trendy again

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After bringing in star names, PSG tried a 4-4-2 but it didn’t work too well.
“Some elements of football strategy evolve consistently in one direction over a long period, becoming increasingly extreme. Other elements appear more cyclical — moving routinely between two opposing concepts, which come in and out of fashion. Therefore, whereas there has been a steady shift toward technical possession football over the past 20 years, for example, a concept like the ‘box-to-box midfielder’ appears to come and go in roughly five-year intervals.” ESPN – Michael Cox

Analysis – Borussia Dortmund dominate Olympique Marseille

“While Jürgen Klopp watched from a Westfalenstadion skybox – bundled up like a holiday shopper – Borussia Dortmund (BVB) sought out Champions League (UCL) revenge against the traditional French power, Olympic Marseille (OM), to avenge a UCL sweep at the Frenchmen’s hands two year ago (2-6 aggregate). It succeeded. And looked its hipster best while winning. Dortmund won 3-0 against the seven-time French champions in convincing fashion. The result never really seemed in doubt, as BVB always created more dangerous chances and created a stranglehold on the match when it opened the scoring at 19′. The vaunted play-making abilities of OM’s supreme central midfielder, Matthieu Valbuena, never materialized as BVB organized an efficient defensive effort as well as a dangerous attack to dominate this match. A win like this quickly buries the disappointment of the 2-1 loss at Napoli, as Klopp’s squad travels to Arsenal next. On the other hand, OM is winless in Group F.” Bundesliga Fanatic

Champs League offers reason for hope for Man United, none for City

“It was very close to being a very good night indeed for David Moyes, but even though Taison struck with 14 minutes remaining to prevent Moyes’ Manchester United side from becoming the first English team ever to win in Donetsk, there was satisfaction and encouragement both in a valuable away point and in the level of performance. There were rather fewer positives to draw for the other Manchester cub, as City was outpassed and outplayed by Bayern Munich — and, perhaps even more frustratingly, again ended up the victim of defensive and goalkeeping errors.” SI – Jonathan Wilson

Mesut Özil’s mastery of space makes Arsenal play

“In the end, it was the only thing Mesut Özil had to break sweat to do. Not the finish – which was a master class in watching the ball all the way and not hurrying the technique – but actually getting there, as he was still a long way away from play – the only time in the match – and as he reached Aaron Ramsey’s cut-back, he expertly guided on the half-volley into the top corner.” The Arsenal Column

Manchester City 1-3 Bayern Munich: Tactical Analysis

“Yet another big game came our way in the UEFA Champions League in what has been a great season of European football so far. Guardiola and his Bayern Munich side went to the Etihad, expecting to win. Manchester City also set up to get 3 points in their home game. The home team started with the first choice centre back pairing of Kompany and Nastasic. Clichy and Richards were the two wing backs. In midfield, Toure and Fernandinho started behind Nasri, Aguero and Jesus Navas. The lone man up front was Edin Dzeko.” Outside of the BooT

Arsenal 2-0 Napoli: Arsenal win the game early by attacking down the right flank

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“Arsene Wenger fielded five natural central midfielders, but Napoli were opened up repeatedly in their left-back zone. Wenger was without a variety of players comfortable in wide roles – Theo Walcott, Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – while Jack Wilshere was rested, with Mikel Arteta coming into the side and Arsenal’s three attacking midfielders playing fluid roles. Rafael Benitez was still without Christian Maggio, and also lost Gonzalo Higuain through injury. Arsenal were dominant from the first whistle, and Napoli rarely offered a goal threat.”
Zonal Marking

Arsenal 2 Napoli 0: Mesut Özil sets the tone as Arsene Wenger’s side turn on the style against Napoli
“When Arsenal play with the precision, pace and elegance that spiced some of their mesmerising first-half movement here the feeling grows stronger and stronger that the long, soul-searching, inquisition-scarred wait for a trophy might yet end this season. If it does, the player who should touch the trophy first should be Mesut Özil, who impressed again in a 2-0 victory. The German has strengthened Arsenal psychologically and as an attacking, trophy-threatening force. He has brought belief, assists and now his first goal for the club, a strike that celebrated his sumptuous technique. Özil was almost unplayable at times, gliding hither and thither, twisting away from opponents, the ball merrily snuggling his left foot, leaving Napoli bewildered and bewitched. Telegraph – Henry Winter

Cesc Fábregas seals Barcelona win after Celtic’s Scott Brown is sent off

“It is a stern enough test to face Barcelona with 11 men, let alone 10. Celtic discovered precisely that. Anger was the overwhelming emotion in Glasgow’s east end after the dismissal of the Celtic captain, Scott Brown, proved the defining moment of a taut encounter. Brown’s departure on the hour was sufficient to hand Barcelona the impetus they needed to secure victory by a single Cesc Fábregas goal. It was a success they barely merited from a match that regressed into the realms of the bad tempered for the closing 30 minutes.” Guardian

Barcelona struggle without their Messi-ah
“Considering Lionel Messi plays in a squad of all the talents, Barcelona as one-man team might seem a far-fetched concept. However, many a footballing force has faded without its main man. Ajax fell sharply once Johan Cruyff departed in the 1970s; only recently have Napoli become a European force since the 1991 day when Diego Maradona fled Neapolitan life in drug-fuelled disgrace; Manchester United have never been quite the same after losing Cristiano Ronaldo.” ESPN

Manchester United must be wary of Shakhtar Donetsk’s boys from Brazil

“Shakhtar Donetsk should win the championship this season, but it says something for the changes in the Ukrainian league that the verb is ‘should’ rather than ‘will’. The shakiness of Manchester United’s start to the campaign may be more obvious – while United lie 12th in the Premier League table, Shakhtar are third in the Premier Liha – but this has been a sobering couple of months for Mircea Lucescu’s side.” Guardian – Jonathan Wilson

Man City mental game still a work in progress

“This season, more than any other in recent memory, has demonstrated how the consensus about a particular side’s predicament can change astonishingly quickly. Arsenal, who were in crisis after the Aston Villa defeat, now are in dreamland five games later. Chelsea seemed to have returned to their ruthless ways following Jose Mourinho’s return, then went three matches without a win. Liverpool were cool, calm and clinical after four matches, then lost at home to Southampton completely unexpectedly.” ESPN – Michael Cox

Statistical Analysis: How did Juan Mata do on his return to the starting line-up for Chelsea?

“Juan Mata was, incredibly, marginalized to a degree at the beginning of the season. The two time Chelsea player of the year was left out of Chelsea’s squad for the 2-0 victory over Fulham at fortnight ago, but managed to claw his way back into the side after a strong 45 minutes against Spurs last weekend. On his return to the starting 11 versus Steaua, how can we rate his performance? Juan Mata had a strong game for Chelsea. The Spaniard featured mainly as the no.10, although he interchanged with Oscar, who started wide right. Mata was in good creative form in this role and created six chances for his team-mates in the process…” Think Football